Spain: From Gaudi's Marvel to Guggenheim
The Odd Giant That Stole Our Hearts
”Those two pillars look odd, don’t they?” Suneela mentioned to me as I was outside staring at Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain. The two pillars she pointed out had distinct colours and almost didn’t fit each other. We only realised later that the pillars were built at different times in history.
We almost missed experiencing all of this. Tickets for the Sagrada Família were not available online and generally booked weeks in advance, but we got lucky. An offline ticket booking stall near the entrance had a few spots left.
As we entered the Sagrada Família, we saw massive columns that rose around us like we’d walked into an enchanted forest, not a basilica. This was the vision of the chief architect, Gaudí, each column branching at the top like trees reaching for the sky.
But it was the light that got us. The stained glass windows painted everything in shifting colours, with warm reds and oranges flooding from one side, cool blues and greens from the other. We just stood there, watching the sun light seeping through the stained windows, completely mesmerised.
Our audio guide revealed fascinating secrets as we explored: “They’ve been building this for 150 years.” Looking up at the columns and roof, we learnt that Gaudí used various mathematical shapes, from parabolas to hyperbolas, to enhance the acoustics of this magnificent basilica. It must be a feast to the ears when music is played through the grand organ at the centre. Hours passed like minutes as we wandered through Gaudí’s masterpiece.
As we explored the surrounding area outside the basilica, we found it quite odd that there were American fast food chains and modern buildings standing next to this iconic basilica. It’s a juxtaposition of the old and the new.
Our Experience with Barcelona
Barcelona felt crowded everywhere. When we went to the main street, La Rambla, it was packed with a lot of tourists. We were also swamped by Indian restaurant men handing us pamphlets and telling us to visit their restaurant. When we first planned our trip to Barcelona, we got a lot of advice about watching our pockets, as there were many pickpockets in Barcelona. This made us quite anxious and spoiled our experience, as we were constantly wary of someone stealing our wallets.
That said, Barcelona had amazing public transport. It was super easy to get around everywhere. We got ourselves a 10-ticket card as soon as we got out of the airport and it was quite handy. We also observed that in the buses and trams, there were many kids going along with their grandparents. After talking to a local friend, we learnt that since rents are high in the city, many adults stay with their parents till their mid-30s and their parents take care of their kids when they go to work. This reminded me of the similar culture back in India. In fact, at many points throughout our trip in Spain, we thought to ourselves how Spanish culture is similar to that of Indian culture.
Walking Through Medieval Barcelona
Away from the tourist crowds, we wandered into the Gothic Quarter’s narrow lanes. The streets here felt like stepping back in time, with centuries-old stone walls rising on either side. Our guide told us that some of the foundations we were walking past dated back to Roman times, when Barcelona was called Barcino. It was fascinating to think that people had been walking these same paths for over 2,000 years.
As we explored deeper, we heard the legend about the skull and the dagger that is present on the bridge in the Gothic Quarter. It is said that if the dagger is removed from the skull, the entire city will be destroyed. This legend adds to the eerie chargm of the Gothic Quarter.
Bilbao
After Barcelona, we went to Bilbao, which is in the north of Spain. After reaching there, we realised that the locals here speak a different language called Basque and even Spanish speakers do not understand that language. Bilbao was a nice small town, and we could stroll across the main centre of the city.
The people here are super warm. Even though we booked an Airbnb shared with host, we got the entire house for ourselves as the host was not present. The host’s parents greeted us in broken English and showed us around the house. We also met them again while we were walking around the city, and this time they were super helpful and gave us a lot of tips for exploring Bilbao. When we departed to leave, they gave us the traditional Spanish kiss, a light air kiss near both cheeks, their traditional way to farewell, a gesture that made us welcome as a local.
We also visited the Guggenheim Museum, a building with unusual shapes. It is said that Bilbao didn’t have any tourists 20 years back and because of the incredible artistic building they built in Bilbao, tourists from all over the world kept flocking here to check out this unique and unusual building in Bilbao. I learnt from my architecture friends that the Guggenheim Museum is a common case study taught in Architecture schools because of its success in reviving tourism.
Final Thoughts
Barcelona’s constant pickpocket anxiety overshadowed even the Sagrada Família’s beauty. Bilbao, though? That’s the Spain we fell in love with. Warm locals, genuine connections, and the freedom to just enjoy. We’ll return to Spain, but we’ll skip Barcelona and explore more cities like Bilbao instead.
Yeswanth
Yeswanth
Technologist. Driven by the need to travel to every interesting nook and corner of the world! Loves adventure activities including paragliding, snorkelling, scuba diving and more.
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